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Edible Weed (No, Not That Kind)

If the dandelions are the most prolific plant in your yard, try eating them. It won’t make them go away, but it might make you feel better.

Dandelion greens from our front yard.

Lots of “weeds” are edible. In my own state of Ohio we have lamb’s quarters, garlic mustard, plantain, purslane and violets (the most beautiful weed). Provided you don’t squirt poison on your yard, you can gather all these goodies, both leaves and flowers.

I laugh when people talk about eradicating them from their yards. Not only can it be eaten, but it helps in other ways. The yellow flowers give bees pollen early in the season when they need it the most. Its long tap root brings up minerals and nutrients that are then utilized by your garden plants.

I’ll try to remember that when the dandelions get so profuse that they threaten to take over the lawn.

In the meantime, I went outside and used scissors to snip off the best-looking leaves, then added some garden kale to my mix. Dandelions tend to be bitter (perhaps that’s why they are the only plants in the yard that never get chomped by the bugs). So unless you love ultra-bitter veggies like radicchio, it’s necessary to plunge them in boiling salted water for a minute or two. Then sauté with olive oil and garlic, Roman-style. They’re great with anything that adds a smoky flavor, like the Bellavitano cheese with chipotle rind.